ASUS Transformer Book T100 Review

To road warriors who are keen to find a good balance between a truly useful laptop and a tablet, the hybrid ASUS Transformer Book T100 should be an option. With its lightweight build and detachable screen that doubles as a tablet, it gives end-users easy choices for switching between a laptop and a mobile device in one little package.

System

This entry level machine comes in compact 10.2-inch unit that can be easily carried in a purse or a satchel. The 2-in-1 laptop/tablet device runs on Windows 8.1 and is installed with Windows Office 2013. Note, however, that users must activate the Office package with the serial provided.

Hardware

The screen sports a glossy, metallic plastic finish, while its detachable keyboard/dock is enclosed in plastic with a slate gray, brushed metal look and feel. The dock’s base has a coated rubber finish, which helps prevent the device from sliding off smooth surfaces. On the whole, it is easy to forget that the T100 is just a hybrid instead of a real laptop, if not for its mobile dock, which slightly raises the keyboard’s base when the screen is lifted.

The touchscreen is easily attached to the dock, or detached with a press of the release button, and does feel (and probably is) much heavier than a typical tablet at 1.2 lbs. However, taken with its keyboard, the whole combination that results in a decent laptop weighs only 2.4 lbs, which is much lighter than most mobile computers. This should make it a truly competitive feature for workers on the go, students, and anyone who prefers to carry tablets but also need to work with notebooks (or enjoy the impression of working with one).

Speakers are discreetly placed on both sides of the touchscreen’s cover, while a single volume button accompanies a Windows 8 button to help the user return to the Start screen. This is a helpful feature for first-time users of Windows 8, which is dramatically different from the previous incarnations of the operating system.

Touchscreen and Camera

The high-definition touchscreen panel works easily and seamlessly with its operating system, which is specifically made to cater to both tablet and laptop devices. With a screen resolution of 1366 x 768 , it provides a crisp viewing experience and does not have issues with viewing angles.

Suffice it to say that it is way easier to control the device with a touch screen, a keyboard, and a touch pad. Having more options just makes everything that more convenient. With an ambient light sensor, the screen adjusts the brightness of the display according to the conditions around.

The touchscreen also provides a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera. This might be a bit of a let-down for those who are keen to use the tablet as a camera the way they do with typical mobile devices. However, the Transformer T100 is still after all a notebook, as well.

Storage and Connectivity

The notebook has a built-in in memory of 64GB, much of which is easily eaten up by its operating system, basic files, and your common applications. Thus, the availability of a microSD to extend storage space is rather welcome, and including a micro USB 2.0 port solves the lack in storage. However, the micoUSB’s main function is for charging, therefore a USB 3.0 found on the keyboard dock should solve the issue.

If you wish to view files or connect the T100 to a smart TV, its micro HDMI port allows the device to connect to HDCP compliant devices.

Battery Life and Performance

As previously noted, the notebook comes with a micro-USB charger–a welcome option if you would rather use the same connector for PCs and mobile phones. Fully charged, the T100 it takes a full day to run out of juice, thanks to its Intel Bay Trail-T Quad Core Z3740 1.33 GHz processor, which is designed for mobile devices that require good performance and energy efficiency.

Verdict

The Asus Transformer T100 is a decent computing machine boasting portability, performance, and decent battery life. For its size, it strikes a good balance between a tablet and a notebook. On the flip-side, no thanks to its dimensions, working with the keyboard may take some getting used to. But once one has become comfortable with a smaller keyboard, using this notebook for productivity and entertainment becomes a breeze.